Historic Sites
Scottish word of the day: Gallus
GALLUS is, thankfully, a rather less obscure word than many that feature in this series.
Scottish Word of the Day: Piece
MANY visitors to Scotland may overhear the locals referring to what sounds like ‘peace.’ What they’re actually talking about is their lunch, or a snack.
Rare Canna stone’s a blessing and a curse
AN ANCIENT “cursing stone” used by Christian pilgrims more than a thousand years ago to bring harm to their enemies has been discovered on Canna.
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Notes of interest: A history of printed money in Scotland
THE Royal Bank of Scotland has led the way in
the issue of banknotes and, finds Brian Ferguson,
that history is about to be celebrated as part of
the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations
The explosive history of Canongate’s cannonball Picture gallery
IT HAS a strong claim as one of Edinburgh’s most intriguing buildings, with a chequered history as a merchant’s home, a slum, a church house and a brothel.
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Scottish quote of the day: Jimmy Reid, Glasgow University, 1972
Trade union activist and politician Jimmy Reid was the spokesman and one of the leaders of the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders work-in of 1971-72 in which workers refused to accept the liquidation of the company and continued to work without pay in protest.
Plans afoot to tell Aberdeen’s granite story Picture gallery
AMBITIOUS plans have been unveiled for a heritage centre that will allow visitors an unprecedented clifftop view into the biggest man-made hole in Europe.
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Grief for ‘down to earth’ Duke of Atholl who commanded a private army
JOHN MURRAY, the 11th Duke of Atholl and commander of Britain’s only private army, has died in a hospital in South Africa.
Falkirk’s historic town centre to get a facelift
ONE of Scotland’s most historic town centres is set to undergo a £2 million facelift.
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Aberdeen University becomes font for Scotland’s Catholic heritage
TWO priceless collections of manuscripts, books and letters from the archives of the Catholic Church are to be returned to the north-east of Scotland for the first time in more than half a century.
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Rescue deal to bring William Adam mansion back from brink Picture gallery
THE future of one of Scotland’s most important listed buildings has been secured under a rescue deal set to trigger a £12 million overhaul for the crumbling 18th-century mansion in the Lothians.
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Scottish Word of the Day: Rook
Not the common bird, but an old Scots word meaning plunder. Although one of the most common uses is to indicate that you have no money left, it is unclear whether this is a general term, or whether it implies (as plunder does) that it was lost or stolen.
Diamond jamboree as Bonnie Prince Charlie’s gem auctioned off Picture gallery
A YELLOW diamond brooch once owned by Bonnie Prince Charlie and a rare stone worth £3 million are among jewels going under the hammer at auction today.
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Harley-Davidson devotees rescue crumbling Scots home of legendary motorbike maker
A TINY but ’n’ ben is about to get a new – and noisy – lease of life. The cottage in Angus is the former family home of the American Scot who helped found the most iconic motorbike ever produced. Now devotees of the Harley-Davidson brand have used their own money to buy the cottage to turn it into a pilgrimage site for bikers around the world.
Hard living: A history of crofting
Crofting was the outcome of the Highland Clearances when tens of thousands of people were evicted and moved to small plots on difficult-to-cultivate land in return for an annual rent.
Croft tourism throws lifeline to struggling farms
THE chances are there will be dodgy weather, a surplus of midges and a lack of night life. But the historic network of crofts that date back more than a century are to be marketed as an “authentic” taste of Scotland.
Duke of Argyll joins Jacobite rebels to petition Queen for clemency
THE Queen is to be presented with a petition aimed at ending laws imposed by the British government on the vanquished Jacobite clans after the 1715 and 1745 risings.
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Scottish quote of the day: William Wallace’s statement at his trial on 23 August, 1305
Thanks to the popular film Braveheart, it’s difficult to know what William Wallace truly said, and what Hollywood decided he said.
Island on the edge: The challenges facing Foula
David Pollock finds a memoir of life on the remote outpost of Foula highlights the present challenges to its survival
Historic Scotland rescues Perth City Hall from demolition
AN ICONIC Scottish concert venue threatened with demolition has been saved after an intervention by Historic Scotland.
4 commentsScottish word of the day: Biddie
As is the case with several Scots words, there are numerous descriptions (both pleasant and unsavoury) for women.
Enter our Historic Scotland photo competition
You could win £500 worth of photography vouchers, one year of Historic Scotland Membership and a unique experience on location with a Scotsman photographer.
Scottish events of the Week
Need some inspiration for how to spend your free time this week? Here we look at five events worthy of your consideration.
Rare glimpse of Raj – hidden in Edinburgh shoe box
A SHOE box full of images capturing life in India at least a century ago has been discovered in one of Scotland’s national collections.
Sacrifice: Remembering the Scots in the Russian Arctic Convoys
This week Wester Ross is holding exhibitions and events to commemorate the Scots who undertook one of the most hazardous duties of the Second World War, writes Alistair Munro
Chariots of Fire’s Olympic secret revealed
THE extraordinary role of a French resistance fighter in bringing the award-winning film Chariots of Fire to the big screen has been revealed by the film’s producer, Lord Puttnam.
Eric Liddell: The man who put God before gold
THIRTY years after Lord Puttnam brought the story of Eric Liddell so memorably to life in Chariots of Fire, the Oscar-winning film-maker pays tribute to the Scottish athlete who put his faith before Olympic glory and in doing so became one of the greatest Olympians of them all
3 commentsScottish Fact of the Day: Scottish Saints
MOST people will be aware of St Andrew, commonly referred to as the patron saint of Scotland, but there are around 23 prominent Scottish saints - and no, St Johnstone isn’t one of them!
Scottish Fact of the Day: Loch Lomond
YOU may know it due to the song ‘The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond’, but the eponymous loch is in fact the largest expanse of fresh water in the whole of Britain.
Culloden’s past is present for man who makes living history
IN the Soldier’s Tale, Mike Newcomen, a living history presenter based at the Culloden visitor centre near Inverness, describes what fascinates him about the famous battle site.
Too much time on his hands, but work ticks all the boxes
IN the Clockman’s Tale, Kenneth Chapelle describes the restoration and repair work he does on the 300 clocks belonging to the National Trust for Scotland.
Beltane: A brief history
ON April 30, thousands will climb Calton Hill for this year’s Beltane Festival, a party which includes fire, drumming and dancers dressed in little more than a coat of red paint.
Appeal for help to discover site of Pictish battlefield
HISTORIC Scotland is seeking the help of the public in its attempt to identify the lost site of one of the most pivotal battles in Scottish history.
Racing cert: The 400-year history of Perth racecourse
Next year Britain’s most northerly racecourse, Perth, will celebrate 400 years since its founding. Martin Hannan examines its remarkable run
- Rangers takeover: Duff & Phelps threaten legal action against BBC
- Today’s youth not fit to be employed, says car firm Arnold Clark
- Family mourn death of Glasgow ‘fight’ schoolboy
- Rangers administration: Fans fear Duff & Phelps claims could scare off Green
- Rangers takeover: triple penalty punishment enough, says Johnston
- Alistair Darling leads ‘No to independence’ fight over tea and biscuits
- Scottish independence: SNP flip-flops over Nato
- Scottish Independence: SNP ‘won’t be Yes campaign’s only voice’
- Today’s youth not fit to be employed, says car firm Arnold Clark
- Scottish independence: ‘People here are best qualified to run Scotland’
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Weather for Edinburgh
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North east
